Another great day with food and dare I say easy? I can’t help but be amazed that for the first time in ages I’m not obsessed with food and thinking about what snacks we have in the house. This feels awesome, it feels normal! It was finally no longer rainy when we got home so the kids played with N’s girls and then it was home for dinner, baths, play, and bed. I did the full MMA Kickboxing workout and it was it a good time. I also started to feel the soreness in my arms from the workout the night before. I then headed to bed, it was another exciting night at my house.

Since I never heard back from the nurse yesterday, and my bleeding is now constant and heavy, I called and left another message. Of course she called me just as my meeting was starting but she did get me in for a checkup tomorrow at 3. Tonight I am going to work on laundry, do a Hiit workout, and bake the cake. I’m trying a grain free recipe that uses coconut flour, I hope it turns out really nice.

I spent my afternoon organizing our storage area and I wasn’t pleased at how sloppy and lazy the guys are at putting parts back properly. I told D that if they mess it up before FY end count heads will roll and he agrees with me so we get to have a fun little meeting, yay! It was really nice when we got home so we played with N’s girls and then headed home to make dinner. Both kids were tired and L told me several times she was no longer my friend. I know that just means I’m doing my job right J L didn’t want to finish her dinner so she went to bed right after she got down. I had high hopes that she’d actually go to bed and get the sleep she needed but no. B was tired also but once he was in the room they both fell asleep right away, thank God. Before he was in bed I did two loads of laundry, paid bills, and baked my mom’s cake. Once he was in bed I did a 3 mile run and I wanted to walk but pushed through and even though I was 3 minutes slower than my normal it was still a great run.

Today started with a couple jerks at work, it’s just people being a-holes and I just shut my trap when one guy said I took a cop out. No I told the truth and laid it out there if you think that’s a cop out then you’re an idiot. It’s been better and I am leaving early since I’m going to see the OB this afternoon. I’m a bit nervous but I really hope it’s nothing major. Tonight I’m going to clean the house, frost the cake, start packing, and get a Hiit workout in. I’m taking tomorrow off so I’ll get to take B to swim lessons and watch him, I’m really excited about that. My mom is coming up in the morning and DH and I will head to Chico for our Anniversary weekend in the afternoon. We’ll have a night of soaking, eating great, and hopefully sleeping in. I think I can keep my food on track on Friday but Saturday may be a bit harder. I’ll just do my best and then get back on track on Sunday. I’ve told DH I feel like my bleeding is going to ruin our weekend. He said even if we just cuddle it will be a great weekend, he’s so sweet. I just hope the bleeding will be able to be controlled by a tampon. How mortifying would it be to leak blood while in the pool! On Sunday I hope to get the garden tilled and planted and work on more weeding. I think it will be a good weekend.

My doctor appointment last week went pretty well. At first we just discussed what’s been going on with me and decided to do an ultrasound just to check things out. Sure enough I have a cyst on my left ovary that is about 1” x 1.5”. It at least explains everything and I have to go back on the 9th to make sure it’s getting smaller and not bigger. He thinks my body tried to ovulate but didn’t release the egg, awesome! I stopped at Costco on my way home and cleaned the house. It was so nice to sleep in on Friday a little bit and I enjoyed watching B at his swim lesson. He’s not as confident as I had hoped he’d be but his teacher said it was the best he had ever done before and I cheered him on. L just enjoyed the little kid potty and I told her she could take lessons but she has to be potty trained, I’m desperate here! After swim we headed home and the kids played with the neighbors until my mom arrived. It was then Mimi mayhem of gifts and play while I whipped together a lunch and then we left for our Anniversary getaway. The kids of course cared less that we were leaving. We were out the door a little early so we stopped by REI to look at things and immediately picked up a backpack for L so she could have one when we hike. Typical parents. We got to Chico right at check in and after breaking in our room, very carefully due to this darned cyst, then hit the pool. We both had a couple drinks while chatting then dolled ourselves up and went to dinner. The food was superb! I couldn’t get enough and we finished it off with 2 desserts, yum! We then headed back to the pool and encountered a drunken a-hole that got me riled up for about an hour. He yelled “Get your **** off my stuff” twice at us and we weren’t on his crap. I wasn’t happy and his stupid girlfriend kept giving him drinks after that, hello! Not a good idea! Anywho we had a great soak then passed out in our bed. Think we slept in? Of course not! I think I was probably initially up at 6:00 but I didn’t look at the clock until 7 and we had a lazy morning dozing off and on then having breakfast in our room before soaking.

Once we got home to our kids, who quickly turned into monsters, greeted us with big hugs and then we jumped in the car and did some shopping, grabbed lunch, and picked up a coffee. The kids napped in the afternoon while we chatted and it was just a nice relaxing time with my mom. Sunday we were up fairly early and went out to breakfast then saw my mom off. Once we got home DH tilled my garden then I prepped it and planted seeds. L was my biggest helped but B made sure he got some seeds in the ground also. Our afternoon involved playing with the neighbors and the week has been pretty typical.

Tuesday was our actual anniversary and I wanted to make a nice dinner, share a growler (our favorite GF beer is back on tap) and watch a movie. I started to get some abdominal/cramping pains and the kids were being tyrants and DH worked late so my night had me falling asleep on the couch before 8 and I wasn’t in a good mood. I was still a bit crabby about it come Wednesday and I still wasn’t feeling well but DH surprised me by taking me to lunch and then he showed me the new carpet in the store. We also made up for Tuesday by having dinner, drinks, and a movie just like I had wanted. Last night I cleaned the house and tonight we are doing the wine club at a local restaurant. Our original plans were cancelled due to not enough people buying tickets so this is our second option. It will be fun. Tomorrow I’m taking the kids to Arts on Fire to make DH a Father’s Day present, I tried to make it a play group but so far no one else can go. I need to do some major filing, cleaning in the basement, laundry, and baking. It will be a typical weekend but nice.

L had me crack up this past weekend. I was getting dressed and she came into the room and asked me what my nipples were. I gave her some kisses and hugs and she said to me "Mommy get your nipples off my pajamas". It was hilarious and I guess she's not too crazy about nipples.

It’s been awhile since I’ve updated, I didn’t realize it’s been so long. Memorial weekend DH did the move into the new store location. His business partner was up almost the whole week leading up to the big move and A plus the IL’s came up on that Saturday to help with the move. I had no idea who was coming to the BBQ afterwards or who all was staying with us and it turned out I had to put together a 3rd bed since the IL’s never told me they changed their mind about staying in a hotel. I was fine with it and had invited them to stay with us, we just never got a confirmation, but I pulled it off rather seamlessly. The BBQ was fun and DH then spent the next week at the store doing more set-up work every evening. Needless to say I didn’t get squat in for exercise and am feeling like a fat lazy slug right about now. The kids had both been handfuls getting them to stay in bed and stay quiet at bedtime so not having DH around really took a lot of my time. I have done a lot of cooking/baking with my rhubarb including too many rhubarb cookies that I finally mastered. They are divine! I also made some strawberry/rhubarb jam so I’ve broken in the first canning session of the summer.

Lily is finally potty trained! She doesn’t even have accidents when sleeping though I still put a pull-up on her just because we have them to use. I now need to offload all of the diapers, maybe day care will take them if N isn’t interested. We took her to Target to pick out a potty treat, she picked a doll that pees and poos, ironic? Of course on the way to the register to buy the doll she stops by some clothes to squat because she had to poo. I was convinced she was never going to potty train at that point. We started to send her to DC in pull-ups and I would put her in big girl panties when we were at home. She finally decided it was time and has done great since then. We’ve had a couple accidents here and there but I think they’re mostly due to her learning that she can’t hold it too long. B did the same thing. She’s very proud of herself and I’m proud of her, it will make so many things so much easier!

A few times in the past two weeks she’s called me Mommian Mae T****** when she’s mad at me or correcting me. I had thrown a piece of paper away that she had covered stickers and she came out of the pantry saying “Mommian Mae T****** did you throw this away?” It was pretty darned cute. She’s doing a great job pedaling her trike and doesn’t want any help from us. She can go pretty fast but usually just putters so walks are still pretty slow. I had a break down on Monday because the kids have been so naughty about falling asleep. I’ve been so exhausted and because we’ve had to put one in the pack n play to get them to finally fall asleep I haven’t been able to go to bed early to catch up on my sleep. I sat the kids down first thing on Monday morning and explain to them how their not falling asleep is affecting me and I asked them what needed to be done to fix this problem. I’ve done timeouts, taking toys away, and swats on the bum with no change in their behavior at all so I explained that the new consequence was to spend the next evening on the couch doing nothing. No games, no talking, no books, no toys, no TV. B understood how unfun that would be so he was good for me that night but L, like I expected, was not. She spent Tuesday evening on the couch and was not happy about it. She made that clear when she spit on my end table, spitting is her defiant act, so I put her in the highchair. Not a great night but she seemed to have learned her lesson because so far they’ve done a great job going to bed for us. B has grown quite a bit in the last month and we measured L and compared her height to B at the same age and she’s 3 inches shorter! She’s my little short stack, something I passed down to her.

I’ve been in a funk lately, it’s off and on but I about cried today when DH didn’t take the dirty joke I made as I expected him to. He seemed put off by it and it made me feel rejected I guess. I closed down my IM at that point and feel like crawling in bed and sleeping, too bad I’m at work. I had my follow up appointment last week and the cyst was ½ the size from the month prior so that was good. My 68 year old doctor fist bumped me twice, it was hilarious. Of course my body decided to pick up the bleeding the day before the appointment, at least it seems like that was the end of it because for the first time in over a month I haven’t had any bleeding since Tuesday. I’m scared to get my hopes up that it may be the end of this and my body may actually return to normal. Do I even remember what normal is?

I fell off my no-grains wagon and I need to get back on because I have returned to where I was before I kicked the grains. I’ve been drinking too much alcohol also and that never helps in the weight loss department. So I’m focusing on no grains this weekend and hopefully I can find the will to start exercising regularly again. I want to feel good and I know that requires me eating healthy and exercising so I just have to do it.

Our neighborhood garage sale is tomorrow and I’m going to try to sell a few things at N’s house. We’ll also have a table set up for the kids to sell cookies, brownies, kool-aid, and coffee. Figured it might be a fun way for them to earn some money for their piggy banks. I have everything baked already so hopefully I can get to bed early tonight after I finish cleaning the house. I’m going to get up at my normal time so I can be dressed and ready by 7:30 to set up for the sale.

On Tuesday I discovered, by searching the state registry, that we have a level 3 sex offender living on our street now. My stomach dropped and I was livid. I immediately told N and she told the neighbors that were outside. A level 3 has a high probability of repeat offenses and he’s considered violent. This is not someone I want on my street and it has taken the level of safety I’ve felt before and shattered it. He’s also the same guy I encountered last year after I motioned for him to slow down, awesome! I printed out copies of the state info, including his picture, and posted them on our street and one of the neighboring streets. People have a right to know so we can all stay safe. All of the signs were taken down the next afternoon but I do know some people saw them before hand. I plan to put more up. I told the kids he liked to trick people and they are to stay away from him and we picked up another shotgun to keep in our closet since the other guns are in the gun safe in the basement. I’ve even ordered a lockbox to mount in our closet. I’m not taking his presence lightly and I plan to bring this up at our neighborhood meeting/BBQ on Wednesday. That should be a fun conversation.

Been a little bit since I’ve updated and a lot has happened. I’ll do my best to go over the main things. I’ll pick up on our neighborhood sex offender. At the HOA meeting some people took it how I do and others seemed to think it wasn’t so serious because he was young, assuming it was a statutory rape issue. I found out from one of the neighbors that didn’t take it seriously that his victim was his sister, yeah. The garage sale went well, I got rid of most of my stuff and the kids made about $12 each on the cookie sales, not sure it was really worth it. At the end of June we got in our first camping trip at our favorite spot. The weather was perfect and we had fun roasting hotdogs and marshmallows and just hanging out as a family. The sleeping part was a bit rough for me. We all went to bed at 10 and I woke about 40 min later with a panic/claustrophobic attack, not the first time this has happened. I couldn’t see anything and couldn’t find the tent door and DH woke to me freaking out and gave me a flashlight. I then woke off and on until 2:30 because some damned hippies came in after 11 and started chopping wood and wooing the night away. I would have sworn they were walking around right next to our tent and then my mind started freaking about bears so it wasn’t a restful sleep. When the kids were up at 6 I told B to yell his little heart out and those hippies with hangovers got to hear us. We had a great breakfast, got in a nice hike (saw either wolf or coyote poop), then soaked at Chico on our way home. B was busy making friends with 2 year olds up to adults. He had a gathering for awhile.

My birthday was pretty nice, nothing special and I couldn’t really come up with a place I wanted to eat at so I made dinner. B went to VBS with A in June and he loved it. I had a freak out about them being able to give him GF snacks because they wouldn’t communicate with me so I had to send safe food with him. It worked out and he did a great job signing the songs they learned at the BBQ. B had a great birthday and his party didn’t have as many of his buddies, I think having it the weekend of the 4th effected that, but they had a great time doing a scavenger hunt and Darth Vader piñata. The 4th we went to N’s house to BBQ and light off fireworks, I had to work the next day so that was rough especially since it was FY end. It also didn’t help that my co-worker and I had a screaming match with F-bombs being thrown all over the place. I was so furious and am keeping my guard up with him.

L’s birthday was also a great time and she had a nice turnout of friends. Her age definitely requires parties to move from activity to activity a lot quicker. My parents took the kids home for the week so DH and I spent our Sunday alone staining the fence. He seemed to think it would take a few hours but I knew it was going to take all day and it did. At least it’s done for the next few years. We did some running around and went on a couple walks but overall I was not productive the whole week and it kind of sucked. DH has been stressed and thus crabby and that played in. On Wednesday of that week I scheduled a body scrub and hot stone massage (birthday present from DH) then DH met up with me to go out for dinner. He never came up with a place so we tried Starky’s but they had changed their menu and didn’t have the GF menu yet and most of the meals were not easily made GF. The food wasn’t all that great and he *****ed about it and it made me feel responsible and I almost started crying at the restaurant. On the drive home I cried the whole way and once home I just busied myself with all the stuff that needed to be done and DH realized quickly I wasn’t happy. When I went to bed I did explain to him what bothered me but the damage was done. We both agreed the week just sucked. We took Friday off and were going to drive to Fsyth together but DH had to do some emergency work so I left before him. It was so good seeing the kids, L had a really hard time at night with us not being there and B demanded we Skype on Thursday because he needed to see us. C and his kids arrived shortly after me and since W wasn’t there everyone had a GREAT weekend and relaxed. It was awesome. DH and I planned to see Harry Potter that night but they didn’t have the late show because of the fair so we were shafted, I was really ticked off. Saturday we visited with my grandma, shot the shotgun at the land, and went to the fair. Both kids had a great time with the rides and after they were in bed DH and I went back to go on the bigger rides and meet up with B & A. I didn’t see anyone from my class and it wasn’t all that thrilling downtown but we had an OK time. The drive home on Sunday was a bit frustrating. L fell asleep between Fsyth and Billings but woke so I was able to get gas, treats, and hit the potty once we were in Billings. Around Reed Point she had to go potty so we stopped by the rest area. 2 minutes after getting back on the interstate she’s fussing about having to go potty again, I was livid as I pulled into Big Timber. We had a 15 min potty break and it was annoying. About 10 minutes on the road she tells me she’s out of her belt so I had pull over and re-buckle her. 20 minutes after that she was crying because she got her foot stuck in the compartment under the arm rest and panicked that she’d hurt her ankle. Our last stop was at Livingston to get her foot free and mama more coffee. After an additional hour on the road I earned my coffee.

Last weekend we just hung around the house and chilled. We did make s’mores with N and the girls on Saturday night and stayed up way too late but it was fun. Sunday we did B’s Kindergarten shopping so he’s ready to roll. Now we just need to find out who his teacher is and that will happen less than a week before he starts school. This weekend we’re BBQing with N & M and other than that I need to bake DH’s cupcakes for his b-day. DH has started mudding and sanding the drywall in the garage so that will probably consume his free time. It’s been making him crabby too so that has sucked. I keep telling him to exercise with me so he can de-stress but he hasn’t been sticking with it. I ran 3.1 miles in 35:59 so I was excited about that on Tuesday. I have to start preparing for the Monforton 5K in September and I have to start losing weight and not holding onto this fat.

Yesterday marked what would have been my due date, unbelievable that we should have another little one. I think I’ve been dealing with another cyst, a smaller one this time but still annoying that my body isn’t back to normal. Maybe it never will be again, that’s how I’m feeling at this point anyways. Pity party for one please.

B has been very emotional since staying with my parents. He got into the “I get my way 100% of the time” mind frame so we really had to work on breaking that. L has had a hard time staying asleep and in bed, we’re still dealing with this one two weeks later. I hit the point where I’m fed up with yelling at the kids to get anything done, they don’t listen until I yell and it has to stop. I am now making them come over to me, look me in the eyes, and listen to what I expect from them. I know I’ve tried this before so hopefully this time it will stick. It’s been going OK and I haven’t been yelling so that’s a plus. I’ve also started to spend more time with the kids at bedtime. I’ll lie with each kid for about 5 minutes and then leave them be and I think they’re really enjoying it. They get to talk about whatever is one their mind, usually bugs, and then we do cuddles and kisses. It’s a nice way for both of them to get some one on one attention. L is so cute because she talks with her big grin and says let’s talk about animals. Then she starts clapping and singing about animals. Her favorite is “Butterflies, butterflies, pink and purple butterflies, I love butterflies, etc”. I could just gobble her up.

This weekend wasn’t anything special, it was actually pretty relaxing and it was nice to be able to laze around a bit. I was exhausted on Friday night and only cleaned the floors before heading to bed. Saturday we enjoyed breakfast on the deck and had a lazy morning. I napped with B for a bit and we played outside with the neighbors while we waited for DH to get home. Once he was home we headed to N & M’s house for the BBQ and had a great time. L played shy when M stopped by for dinner, he had to work, but warmed up quickly and invited him to our house. When we got home we discovered I made a stupid mistake by leaving the umbrella up. A wind storm had went through and picked the umbrella up and over the house and it landed on the front fence breaking the top off one slat. I was so peeved with myself for not putting the umbrella down but also thankful that it didn’t impale a car, house, or person. B had a 101 fever before bed and I was hoping it was just from some over exertion.

Sunday we all slept in, ran errands, and I worked on laundry. B was mostly around the 99 range but he did hit 101 early afternoon, you’d never know he had a fever since he was acting normal. DH was working in the garage so I wanted to take L with us to UC but she took the longest nap, of course on the day I needed her to not, so I left as late as I could without her. They did a strep test on B and it came back negative but she seemed to think he still may have it so she called in a prescript in case he worsened. We went home and had some outdoor play time then a normal night. I snacked after the kids went to bed and did the same last night, not good on the scale.

Yesterday I was tired when I got home and then when DH got home he started drilling me, well that’s how it felt anyways, about when the last time I sent a payment off to E was. I told him the beginning of the month I cut them a check and he said they want to see it on the 1st. I threw out well then maybe they need to lay those terms out at the beginning plus not fiddle **** around getting us the loan payment information plus cash the frickin checks when they get them rather than hanging onto them for 3 weeks. It put me in a sour mood and that didn’t go away the whole night. I did get a gift for C ready to mail, made granola bars, and went to bed early. L kept getting out of bed around 3am saying she was scared and wanted to sleep with me, not going to happen little honey.

I will get a walk in during lunch because I need to run to the Post Office and grocery store. Tonight I plan to do a kickboxing workout and above all I need to focus on my food intake, I will be hungry and it will be OK. I also want to bake some muffins tonight and possibly get a couple things done around the house but we’ll see how time works out.

Yesterday morning I went into the kids’ room to find L bottomless. Turns out she had a little accident and decided to take her pants off then just fall back asleep. I told her she can get me so we can get clean clothes and bedding. It was kinda cute seeing her bottom up in the air since that’s her favorite way to sleep.

I’m drained today and am looking forward to being home and relaxing. I’ve had productive evenings doing some baking and chores around the house. Today I high tailed it during my lunch break to pick up our quarter buffalo, take it home to put in the freezer, and then back to work. I only went over by about 4 minutes so I was pretty pleased. I need to stop by the grocery store before heading home then have the kids help me wrap DH’s birthday presents and write on his card. I need to clean the house tonight and try to get some extra sleep, we’ll see how that goes. I wanted to get a Hiit workout in but I’m not feeling up to it. Today has been a crappy day at work, people throwing each other under the bus (I’ve been under it twice to my knowledge) when all it takes is some honesty that our bosses over scheduled us and the projects thrown down to us from the president have taken priority over other projects even though they shouldn’t have. Really it’s just a bunch of political BS and I’m tired of it, I don’t play these games. Of course other people are throwing attitude at me and I’m not in the mood, f-off is my motto. Not very nice but it’s the truth.

I need to call my mom and MIL, it’s been awhile since I’ve touched base. Things are so busy and I know my mom understands but I’m sure MIL is taking it personally. I need to suck it up and take one for the team I guess. DH has the first coat of paint done in the garage and will start on the second coat tonight. He was hoping to get away with just one but things never work that way. At least once this is done we can get the garage organized how it needs to be, not having toys and bikes under foot will be very nice and worth all of this effort.

We had a spectacular camp weekend it was a great battery recharger and just what we all needed. Friday night we stopped at Visions West to see S’s artwork and visit for a short amount of time, you can’t be there too long with little ones because it gets boring fast for them. We then had pizza at Audrey’s before heading home to get the kids in bed and pack for our camping trip.

Saturday we were on the road right before 9 so we were on track with our plans. We went straight to Bannack Ghost Town and met up with C and M (C’s sister in law). We started looking at the buildings then did the mine tour which B really liked. At the end B asked the guide what the blue gold was and the poor guy was confused. I realized he was asking about some broken glass that was there. Of course L couldn’t be out done so she had to ask a question also, I’m not even sure what she said because it was so quiet but she was pleased with herself. We then went back to the ghost town and had a quick lunch before finishing our walk through. B thought the gallows was where they hung people by their feet, I had to explain it was by their necks to choke them and it ended in their death. I did love how he thought everything was a jail. We headed out to find our campsite and DH had found a location online with only 5 spots but it was really close to everything we wanted to do. When we first got there it looked full but we drove through and the last site was free and perfect. It was right next to a very small crick, the kids were able to walk in it without getting more than their shoes wet and no worries about falling, plus it had an open meadow to play in and was away from everyone else. We even saw a frog a couple times so that was big excitement for the kids. We set up camp then made hotdogs over the fire and enjoyed smores before heading to bed. The kids spazzed out when they were in the tent so we wound up going to bed earlier than we had planned.

Sunday we all slept in until almost 8 it was shocking! We got up and I made bacon, eggs, and hash browns then drove up the road to see our second ghost town. Coolidge was the largest silver mine in Montana and it was an easy .5 mile hike to get to the ghost town. There were several spots with water crossing the road so that kept the kids motivated and then we started seeing the mill press. It’s not a maintained ghost town so the buildings have been allowed to cave in but one was still structurally sound enough for us to walk through it, I guess the metal roof was a helper. We were able to walk up to the mill press and the concrete arches were still intact, I guess the government burned the building that stood on top down to keep people from getting hurt. It’s amazing they were able to build that in such a remote location back in the 1800’s. DH was loving it. L was tired of walking so we carried her off and on but she does have short little legs so we couldn’t blame her. Once we were back at camp we had lunch then we loaded up and went to Jewel Park to dig for jewels. The kids were tired but so excited to dig and use their tools. L kept asking where the sand was as we were walking up the hill. We found a nice spot and the kids sifted through finding rocks and jewels, all of the rocks were jewels to B, while DH and I sifted through our own. I found the best jewels on the ground exposed by rain water cleaning them off. After almost 2 hours we headed back to camp where we made hobo packets and brownies (that’s right we baked brownies on our camp stove) for dinner and the kids played in the stream rinsing off their jewels and joyfully yelled about their finds. They then taught me about things in their backpack and we had a nice evening just hanging out as a family, couldn’t be better. The kids were dive bombing each other in the tent so we went to bed earlier than planned again. L did wake at 12:30 crying because she was bitten all over her legs and ankles by mosquitos and was swollen and itching terribly. She told me they were trying to give her kisses. DH put sting relief on her and I went to the van to dig for allergy and pain medicine. She finally settled after a bit and I wished DH a Happy Birthday as he was worried we’d have to pack up in the middle of the night.

Monday DH was up a little after 6 and started a fire and had a quiet start to his morning. B slept until 7:20 and then joined DH and I started packing up bags while L slept. She was still sleeping once I was done so I joined the boys and she was up 15 minutes later. We enjoyed huckleberry pancakes with bacon then packed everything up and headed home. Cell coverage was nonexistent; there wasn’t even spotty service in the area so once we got close to Dillon we started getting messages. The one that took me by shock and made me tear up was from my brother. It basically stated he and SIL are getting divorced, he caught her cheating on him for the 3rd time (4th if you ask me) so that means he and the kids will be up to visit more often in the future. I’m heartbroken that he and the kids have to go through this yet I’m also relieved we can all move on. I called my mom and got some of the details, none of which were surprising, and then we enjoyed our drive home. Once home we played with the neighbors and then I rushed to frost DH’s cupcakes while making dinner and then the neighbors came over to have cupcakes with us.

Last week was busy and I fought a sinus cold or allergies, I did a lot of sleeping because of it. Friday night B had his pre-school graduation and they walked out and had a ceremony then did a circus. B could care less about performing but he did do his lion tamer routine with A well. L danced on the sidelines while the other kids performed with dance/cheer and kept waving to make sure I was watching her. B was acting up a lot and DH had to sit down with him to figure out what was going on. He’s worried the kids at Kindergarten won’t be nice and we’ve been doing a lot of reassurance with him since then. Saturday morning I took the kids to Rocky Creek Farms and we picked raspberries then played for a bit before heading home. We BBQ’d at S & G’s on Saturday night and Sunday was filled with chores and 3 batches of pickles to can, I think I may have more to do after tomorrow’s CSA pickup.

Last night was the school’s open house and we met B’s teacher and checked out his classroom. L seemed to think she was starting Kindergarten also. He has to share a “locker” which sucks because they’re small and it’s going to get difficult come winter but at least I know the mom of the kid he has to share with. T from his old day care is in the class and his cubby mate, hopefully they get along and he’s not quite as aggressive as he used to be. He also knows a girl from his current DC in the class and we showed him where he’d be picked up along with the library. We then met up with N and her girls and K took us to the other building to show us the gym, music room, and her classroom. Turns out we know a girl in her class and she just lives a block north of us. Such a small town. I asked B if he was feeling better about school and he said yes but he’s still afraid. I told him that’s normal. Tomorrow is his first day and I’m going to be late to work so I can see him off, I’m probably going to cry. I had told S that I signed B up for swim lessons on Tuesday nights and she signed A up for them also so the boys can at least see each other once a week guaranteed. When she told A that B starts school tomorrow he started to cry and said he’ll never get to see him again. That made me tear up so I think tomorrow may be emotional. I’m also sleeping terribly because I can’t stop thinking about his school, it’s rather frustrating. I gave his teacher info on him being GF and after seeing the gluten filled and unhealthy (cookies, gusher’s, etc) snacks provided by the other parents I think I may just provide safe options for him daily. I’m waiting to get feedback from her so I can see what will work best, I provide them daily or leave a box of options for him to choose from. They will have lunch from 10:45-11:15, can we say early!?! I know their lunch room is small but wow. The first few weeks they assess where the kids are and then split them up by skill for things like reading and math so he will work with different teachers. I’m interested to see where he will be placed. I’m nervous and excited for him.

I told B on Sunday night that his Aunt W was moving out and that they were no longer going to be married. He said “That’s impossible! You can never be unmarried.” It was really cute but I had to explain to him that it can happen but to never worry about DH and me because we will never be unmarried. He then started talking about bugs so I don’t think that was a worry.

B’s first day of Kindergarten started off well. We dropped L off at DC then took B to the playground. He played for a bit then the bell rang and we took him over to his classroom door. This is when he started to cling to me, he grabbed onto my leg and did not want to let go. We were trying to calm him and finally had to just stick him in the line while he wiped tears from his eyes and hid his face. He wasn’t hysterical but it sure made my heart ache. He did pull himself together and walked into the classroom with his shoulders hunches and feet of lead. Poor boy. I had a pit in my stomach the whole day wondering how he was doing and hoping things turned around for him. He looked fine when I picked him up from DC and he said he had a great day and was ready to go back on Thursday. What a relief! I’ve been very careful to dote on L also and ask her the same questions like what was your favorite part of the day, how was lunch, etc. B said he made a new friend but he’s mentioned two new kids, not sure if it’s the same kid. He’s also been playing with N at recess and sees kids he knows regularly so I think he’s feeling more comfortable. He told me he’s a slow eater, which I knew, so he’s only getting about 1/3 of his lunch in before he has to go to recess. I told him he just needs to work on getting more in before it’s time to go, hopefully he’ll get better. All in all he seems happy and I’m excited to see him grow.

L has been very defiant lately, I think she’s feeling a bit left out because B is in Kindergarten. DH has been frustrated with her a lot lately and I commented that I felt she may be feeling less important so hopefully we can both be a bit more conscious of things. She told me before bed the other night that I was the most beautiful mommy, it gave me some tears in my eyes.

This weekend we’re heading to Fsyth to hang with the family and I mean the whole clan. My Uncle S and Aunt A are celebrating their 50th Wedding Anniversary on Saturday with a BBQ and jam session. It should be fun and I wish I was at my weight from last summer rather than these extra 13 pounds I’ve been sporting. Ugh. We’re also taking the kids to the movie on Saturday night, hopefully L does well and if not I don’t mind leaving with her. I need to make more pickles and get some chores around the house taken care of on Sunday but depending on when we get home I may or may not have time to get it all done.

Starting next week I’m going to work on giving myself 3 goals for the week to work on. This weekend I’m focusing on portion size and not snacking beyond 8. I would love to do no grains but I’m pretty sure that won’t happen since I don’t have control over the meals, I’ll do my best.

Our weekend in Fsyth was nice though I got a sore throat and mild temp so I wasn’t feeling 100%. I caught up with some of the family at the BBQ and the kids had the run of the park and played together really well. I was OK with just glancing to make sure I saw all of them here and there because I knew others were watching them also. Logan was great and would let us know if he hadn’t seen anyone in awhile. It wound up being a long day and L fell asleep on my lap for a bit, she never does that so I knew she was beat. Once we got home and had dinner it was too late to do the movie and I wasn’t feeling well so DH and I didn’t bother going to the late show like we had talked about. We planned to stop and see the IL’s on our way home but they had forgotten we were coming through and weren’t around.

Last weekend we headed to Blgs for S’s birthday and since it was a long week we stayed with B & A for two nights. I drank a bit too much on both nights but thankfully I was smart enough to keep myself hydrated so I wasn’t hurting in the morning. Food wasn’t perfect but it could have been worse and this week I’m trying to just keep the calories low. C came to the house for lunch on Sunday and it was good to see him out and about. My mom had the kids since he was working nights and I think this is going to be a regular thing. DH told me I wouldn’t have a mom for awhile and I think he might be right. We did get to visit with the IL’s for a few hours on our way home Monday so that was nice, we always get the comments that it needs to be more and I do agree but time has not been on my side lately.

School is going well for B, he’s getting most of his lunch in now and when DH drops him off he’s playing with other kids and getting in line without having to hug or constantly wave to DH. It’s bitter sweet because the loves from him are fantastic but we also want him to be a big boy, it’s so hard. He has had some issues with feeling like he’s picked on and I’ve been trying to guide him as to how to deal with it. I think he’s getting a nice group of friends so it doesn’t seem like as big of an issue and I told him no one has the right to make him feel bad. Growing pains for all of us I guess. He does say school is boring and that he’d rather just play. I am wondering if he’s a bit bored and am looking forward to when the assessment period is over and they’re working in groups for their level. He started swim on Tuesday and it makes for a hectic and fast night but it will be good for him. Crockpot Tuesdays will be my savior.

L has been back to herself and she started swim on Wednesday. DH and I went to see her first lesson and my little short stack can’t stand by herself because the water is up to her bottom lip. The instructor had to hold her most of the time and she was not liking water being splashed in her face. She starts dance tomorrow and gymnastics on Monday so she will stay plenty busy this year.

I’m still sick so exercise has been nonexistent. Last week I coughed non-stop and this week I have swollen glands, I’m ready to be healthy again. I’ve been making pickles like mad and have more to make this weekend. I also need to make some elderberry jelly though the robins are all over that bush and may not leave much for me to use. I’ve spent the evenings organizing the storage rooms and moving stuff into the new storage room. DH finished putting up the ceiling rack in the garage so we can move more stuff from the basement out there. I need to go through the kids’ clothes next, I hate that job, but then things should be very well organized.

DH and B are heading to Hamilton tomorrow to stay with C and go to the Griz game. L and I will have a girls weekend and are making dinner on Friday night then we may opt for a movie night or make a sweet treat. Saturday we’re going out for breakfast, will hit the Farmer’s Market and do a little bit of shopping then she’s having her friend S over for a play date. It should be fun and I’m looking forward to our girl time. She is too because she kept getting out of bed last night to tell me how happy she is to make Mac & Cheese with me and that the boys will be at the football game. I’m going to offer up some cheese, fruit, and hummus because I don’t want to eat the M&C and I know she’ll love the other options I’ll have.